Indoor bowls: Bainfield Ladies off to strong start

STEWART MEIKLE

BAINFIELD LADIES made an encouraging start to their Division 1C indoor bowls league campaign, delivering an 84-67 home win over their talented East Lothian IBC opponents.

Wins on the rinks skipped by Anna Anderson, Mandy O’Donnell and Anne Watson plus a peel for Marion Dickson combined to make the team performance a highly-satisfying one. East Lothian shaped up well in the early stages and were adrift on only one rink as they captured the first seven-end phase 34-30. They then confined a middle-phase challenge to a 22-19 setback therefore keeping their nose in front by a single shot. Bainfield came into their own on the third and final phase gaining supremacy over all of the carpet to turn the tables and win the match with a 32-14 dominance.

“It helps the feelgood factor to beat good opposition in a comprehensive manner and the challenge we face now is to perform home and away with consistency,” said a Bainfield spokeswoman.

Anderson emerged the top-scoring skip as she piloted Aimie Robertson, Susan Allan and Margaret Keenan to a 22-15 win over Emma Logan.

It was all to play for at 13-13 after 13 ends but the scales tipped in Anderson’s direct with a space-making break of 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, to lead 20-13 with just three ends to play.

O’Donnell also faced a mid-game challenge at 10-10 after 12 ends but, helped by a 4 on end 16, finished the stronger to skip her front three to a 19-14 win over Yvonne Veitch. Watson welcomed a mighty count of 5 at end six to cross into an 11-10 lead but later lost a 6 at end 14 to trail 19-16 before recovering to skip Sylvia McAnna, Gladys Chririe and Theresa Blair to a 26-21 win over Janet Fairnie.

Dickson turned an 11-4 deficit into a 13-11 lead but later lost a 5 to trail 17-14 before skipping Karen Tumblety, Betty Eaton and Isobel Anderson to a 17-17 share with Lauren Baillie.